Cycle timer with adjustable arcuate cams



p 1966 D. L. RADFORD 3,272,932

CYCLE TIMER WITH ADJUSTABLE ARCUATE CAMS Filed Sept. 22, 1964 INVENTOR.

5 0/? W0 A. RAD/"0E0 United States Patent 3,272,932 CYCLE TIMER WITH ADJUSTABLE ARCUATE Filed Sept. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 398,188 5 Claims. (Cl. 20038) This invention relates to means for timing sequential and/ or overlapping operations during the operating cycle of a machine, garment drying and pressing machines being one example of machine that may be operationally controlled by the present means.

Commercial laundries use various means, among which are punch cards, for controlling sequences of operation of steam presses, such operations ordinarily being start and duration of applying vacuum and steam, start of press head application and time for release thereof, start and end of vacuum cooling, start and duration of increased head pressure, and the like. These operations are exemplarly and their timing in an operating cycle may vary according to the type of material being pressed. Also such operations may overlap. The punch card system for controlling the sequence and duration of the above operations is inflexible since the card punchings cannot be changed but rather the cards interchanged.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved and simplified means for carrying out the aboveenumerated and other sequential operations of a cycle that is externally adjustable by the machine operator who, therefore, may change starting of operations and/or duration thereof as the exigencies of the conditions dictate.

Another object of the invention is to provide means, as above characterized, that enables programming a series of operations and, with easy facility, varying the start and timing of the operations, individually, at any time during the operating cycle.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a Working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above objects are realized in a device that has a bank of switches mounted to be rotated slowly by a synchronous motor around an axis, and an adjustable cam for each switch of said bank to control the make and break thereof, the cams all being alike but individually adjustable to set the make (on) and break (off) of each respective switch, as desired. Each cam comprises two similar cam members that are individually adjustable on an are generated on the mentioned axis relative to each other to pre-set the duration the switch is on, and the cams, comprised of said members each being adjustable on said are with relation to start and stop points of the individual operation, each cam member being provided with an adjusting lug or handle that is accessible to the opera tor for facile adjustable shift of said members.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description and which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, with the cover removed, of a cycle timer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

The present cycle timer comprises, generally, a housing 5, a synchronous motor unit 6 having a motor 6a, a driven shaft 7, a switch bank 8 affixed to an extension 7a of the shaft 7 and moving in arcuate path around the axis of said shaft, a bank of timing cams 9, and means 10 mounting and fractionally adjustably holding said cams in operative relation to the switch bank 8.

The housing 5 that is illustrated comprises an enclosure having a bottom 15, sides 16 and 17, and a front wall 18. The latter is provided with a plurality of vertical slots 19. A bracket wall 20 is supported from the floor and forms a barrier between the motor 6, and the switch bank 8 and bank of cams 9. Said housing, as shown in FIG. 2, is provided with a cover 21 that closes the top and rear.

The motor 6a of the unit 6 may have a directly driven output shaft 7 or, as is conventional, drive such a shaft by means of changeable gearing 22. A ratchet clutch 23 or other releasable means is ordinarily made part of the motor assembly so the shaft 7a may be separated from the shaft 7 to enable manual or adjustable positioning of the switch bank 8. The end of the shaft 7a opposite to the motor is supported in a bearing 24 in the housing side 16. While the shaft 7 rotates through a full revolution, said shaft 7a does not rotate through a full 360 but, rather, a portion of this travel. As an example, the shaft 7a, as controlled by release of the clutch 22, may be set for a travel of 225 over a time period of three minutes. Slower gearing 22 will increase the travel time, accordingly.

It will be understood that the motor unit 6, per se, does not form part of this invention, the same merely comprising means for driving shaft 7a, and the clutch 23 comprising means for effecting a rotational disconnection between shaft 7 and its extension 7a.

The switch bank 8 is shown as comprising a pair of arms 25 aflixed by a boss 26 to the shaft 7a, and a complement of rnicroswitohes 27 connected to and between the ends of said arms by bolts 28. Said switches 27 are represented merely by their bodies and resiliently-mounted actuator-operating rollers 29, it being understood that each switch is a normally-closed switch, is held open by the roller-mounting arm 30 when its roller 29 is biased toward the body and closes when the roller is released. Neither wiring nor operating circuits are shown for the switches, since the same may be provided in any suitable manner, one switch 27 to control an operation function, as will be later seen. It will be understood that one or more of the switches 27 may be of the normally-open type and will be closed when the arm 30 is pressed.

The timing cams of the bank 9 are operatively aligned with the rollers 29 of the bank of switches 27, as seen in FIG. 1. Each cam 9 is comprised of two similar cam members 31 and 32 that have an arcuate form with an arcuate slot 33 therein generated on the axis of shaft 7. Therefore, the cam members 31 and 32 of each cam 9, when placed in face-to-face contact but in end-for-end relation, as in FIG. 2, together, define a mounting and adjusting slot which is formed by the coinciding portions of the slots 33. This slot is held on the are that has its center on shaft 7 by the means 10.

Each cam member 31 and 32 of each cam 9 is provided with a recessed or relief cam face 34 formed in the concave edge 35 of each said member, said faces 34 of the two superposed members 31 and 32 defining a relief recess 36. It will be clear that during travel of the switches, the switch rollers 29 ride the edges 35 of both cam members to hold normally-closed switches 27 open and, when said rollers 29 drop into the relief recesses 36, said switches close due to outward fiexure of the roller arms 30 and remain closed until the rollers again ride up on the edges 35. The reverse type of operation is had with normally-open switches.

Since the means holds the two cam members 31 and 32 centered on shaft 7, each or both members may be moved or adjusted circumferentially relative to each other and both members, as adjusted, may be moved together relative to an arbitrary fixed point represented by the end of radial line 37. Thus, the two members 31 and 32 may be adjusted not only to vary the length of the relief recess 36 and, therefore, the time period that the switch 27 associated therewith is closed, but,

also, the start of the switch-open position relative to point 37. Thus, a machine operation, as hereinbefore explained, may be arranged to start when desired within the cycle of movement of the switch bank and continued for a desired time period.

Said operations may be sequential, may be coincidental, or may partly overlap, as the program dictates. Any changes necessary, even during the cycle period, may be readily effected by manipulation of the handles 38 that extend through the slots 19 in the front wall 18 of the housing. The convex edges of the cams 9 may also partly extend through said slots, as shown, enabling commensurate shortening of the handles 38.

The means 10 is shown as a pair of rods 39 extending in spaced parallel relation through the slots 33 of the cam members 31 and 32, a bearing 40 for one end of each rod 39 in the side 16, a bracket 41 for the other end of each said rod, a plurality of spacing collars 42 between adjacent cams 9, between the bearing 40 and the adjacent cam, and on the outer side of the cam 9 nearest to bracket 41, and a coil spring 43 around each rod 39 between the bracket 41 and the last-mentioned collar. Said springs 43 impose a tension or bias that creates such friction on the cam members that the same maintain their adjusted positions, as explained, yet can easily be adjusted by manipulation of the handles 38. The face of wall 18, in suitable relation to said handles, may be provided with indicia, lines, gradations, and the like to mark the adjustment.

The 225 of shaft travel over a three-minute time period given above, enables the use of as little as 38 of this three-minute cycle, thereby providing a thirtysecond timer.

Practice has demonstrated that a sixty-second time is the maximum required for pressing the newer creaseretaining fabrics. Assuming that 40 of the cycle is used, the shaft rotation selected for a cycle of 40 in sixty seconds would be nine minutes-per revolution.

It will be evident from the above that the arcuate movement of the switch bank 8 is but a fraction of the full rotation of the geared motor shaft 7. Hence, when the 40 movement of the switch bank is achieved, upon release of the clutch 23, either gravity or a spring bias will return .said bank to'initial position. In the form shown, gravity will effect such a return but if the switch assembly were mounted in a manner that gravity would not effect the desired return, the spring may be included. Such a bias means is shown as a spring 7b. Thus, for the purposes of this invention, the shaft 7a has an oscillatory movement, in the manner explained, between a rest position, as in FIG. 2, and a position 40 away, with the switch roller 29 beyond the opposite end of the recess 36. It is believed clear without further illustration that a greater portion of the periphery of the cams 9 may be exposed exteriorly of the housing 5, than stated above.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, itis not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cycle timer having a bank of electric switches having actuator rollers and movable in an arcuate path around an axis, means to engage said switch rollers to open and close said switches comprising:

(a) a bank of arcuate cams formed on a curve having its center on said axis,

(b) each said cam comprising two similar cam members having fiat side portions in face-to-face relation and having an inner concave cam edge with a relief portion and an outer convex portion, said relief portions of the two cam members combining to form a relief recess,

(0) said switch rollers being resiliently biased to bear against and ride over said concave edges of the cam members,

(d) a housing having a wall with slots and the convex portions of the cam members extending through said slots, and

(e) handle projections on each cam member extending from said convex portions.

2. In a cycle timer according to claim 1, springbiased means to impose position-retaining friction against the outer sides of the cam members.

3. Switch-controlling cam means comprising:

(a) two spaced mounting rods,

(b) a bank of arcuate cams, each cam comprising two arcuate members each with a concave camming edge, and each having an arcuate slot through which said rods extend, said slots being longer than the spacing between the rods,

(c) said cam members of each cam having fiat side portions and being in face-to-face engagement,

((1) means to impose resilient bias on the outer opposite sides of the cam members of each cam to frictionally engage the cam members, and

(e) handle means on each cam member for adjusting the same relatively as limited by the lengths of the mentioned slots.

4. Switch-controlling cam means according to claim 3 in which spacer collars are interposed between the cams, and the bias-imposing means comprises an expansion coil spring on each rod and having one end directed to press the cams and collars against a fixed abutment.

5. In a cycle timer having a bank of electric switches with actuator rollers and mounted to move in an arcuate path around an axis and provided with means to move said bank in one direction to an elevated position, means to engage said switch rollers to open and close said switches comprising:

(a) a bank of arcuate cams formed on a curve having its center on said axis,

(b) each said cam comprising two similar cam members in face-to-face relation and having a concave References Cited by the Examiner cam edge with a relief portion, said relief portions UNITED STATES PATENTS of the two cam members combining to form a relief recess, 2,916,593 12/1959 Herrick 20038 X (c) said switch rollers being resiliently biased to bear 5 2,946,902 7/ 1960 Hagen 200-35 X against and ride over said concave edges of the 3,138,503 6/1965 Hendfy 20033 X cam members, 3,221,117 11/1965 Simmons 200-38 (d) means to adjustably fixedly mount said cams, and (e) spring means to bias the switch bank to return BERNARD GHHEANY Pnmary Emmmer' position in the opposite direction. H. M. FLECK, Assistant Examiner. 

5. IN A CYCLE TIMER HAVING A BANK OF ELECTRIC SWITCHES WITH ACTUATOR ROLLERS AND MOUNTED TO MOVE IN AN ARCUATE PATH AROUND AN AXIS AND PROVIDED WITH MEANS TO MOVE SAID BANK IN ONE DIRECTION TO AN ELEVATED POSITION, MEANS TO ENGAGE SAID SWITCH ROLLERS TO OPEN AND CLOSE SAID SWITCHES COMPRISING: (A) A BANK OF ARCUATE CAMS FORMED ON A CURVES HAVING ITS CENTER ON SAID AXIS, (B) EACH SAID CAM COMPRISING TWO SIMILAR CAM MEMBERS IN FACE-TO-FACE RELATION AND HAVING A CONCAVE CAM EDGE WITH A RELIEF PORTION, SAID RELIEF PORTIONS OF THE TWO CAM MEMBERS COMBINING TO FORM A RELIEF RECESS, 